The Silent Epidemic of Iodine Deficiency – Life Extension

The Silent Epidemic of Iodine Deficiency – Life Extension:

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Originally developed for explosives and rocket fuel,18 perchlorate now pervades ground water and food supplies throughout the US. It’s even used as a flavor-enhancer in certain foods.19-21 Perchlorate blocks the thyroid gland’s ability to absorb and utilize dietary iodine, an effect that is of concern when iodine intake drops off.18,22 

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Studies of iodine therapy for breast cancer prevention are encouraging. Continuous iodine given to cancer-prone rats cut mammary tumor rates nearly 2.5-fold.56 Breast cancer cells avidly absorb iodine, which in turn suppresses tumor growth and causes cancer cell death.57,58

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Among those negative consequences is the impact of iodine deficiency on breast health. Compelling data are emerging that link iodine deficiency to breast cancers and high rates of fibrocystic breast disease, two of the greatest concerns of older women in the US. It’s worth exploring those data here; including evidence that iodine supplementation can promote healthy breast tissue.

...Since thyroid function is a puzzle to many people, we’ll begin with a brief overview of that important gland and its requirements for iodine. Then we’ll turn to the role of iodine in maintaining breast health, particularly in preventing breast cancer and fibrocystic breast disease.

Your Thyroid Gland and the Role of Iodine

Your thyroid gland is located in the front of your neck, just below your voice box. The thyroid produces two forms of thyroid hormone, both of which are derived from the amino acid tyrosine and several atoms of iodine. Thyroid hormones control your body’s metabolism, regulating everything from body temperature and heart rate to glucose consumption and even blood lipid levels.27-29

Too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) results in an excessively high metabolic rate. People with this condition have rapid heart rates and often palpitations,29 excessive sweating, and may feel much warmer than other people do, even in a cool room. In extreme cases they may lose weight and experience muscle weakness.

Too little thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) results in just the opposite set of symptoms: a slower than normal heart rate,29 a chronic feeling of being cold, constipation, unexplained weight gain, dry skin, hair loss or coarse dry hair, weakness, muscle aches, depression, and fatigue.30,31 In extreme cases, people with low thyroid function experience cognitive decline,32 and babies born to mothers with inadequate iodine levels are at high risk for a unique form of mental retardation known as cretinism. Cognitive impairment caused by low thyroid function is reversible with iodine or thyroid hormone supplementation.32,33

Both over- and under-production of thyroid hormone are associated with the thyroid gland swelling known as goiter. In hyperthyroidism, the goiter is the result of inflammation of the gland as it is under attack by an overactive immune system.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: IODINE DEFICIENCY

Iodized salt is the chief source of iodine in the industrialized world. Rates of iodine deficiency have reached epidemic levels, increasing fourfold over the past 40 years. Recent scientific analysis reveals that many commercial table salt brands now contain inadequate amounts of iodine. Iodine is critical to healthy thyroid function. Inadequate iodine intake causes weight gain, low energy, depression, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and a variety of cancers. Iodine is vital to breast health in older women, with low intake correlated to increased risks for breast cancer and fibrocystic breast disease.

In hypothyroidism, the goiter develops as the thyroid attempts to make more thyroid hormone in the absence of sufficient dietary iodine.

Iodine deficiency is the most common cause of goiter, and since it causes hypothyroidism, is also the most common endocrine (glandular) problem in the world.18 Iodine deficiency is most prevalent in people who live far inland, away from the oceans that provide our best source of iodine. Those areas are commonly referred to as “goiter belts,” because of the high rates of impaired thyroid function.5